How is icewinde dale?

[SSquared]

After Dungeon Siege, I told myself never to buy another game like that. Actually, I TOTALLY enjoyed Dungeon Siege and still play it once in awhile, it's just that I don't care for the spells and undead stuff. Well, I am now wondering about Icewind Dale (the original one, not II that just came out). Reviews look great. And sounds like it has a wonderful soundtrack (Jeremy Soule, same guy who did Dugeon Siege, Total Annihilation,and Morrowind).

Well, the game has clerics who pray to gods and druids, and that sort of turns me off. But I've been wanting the game for months, and I just got it used today, but I can still take it back as long as I don't open it up.

Any comments? Thanks a bunch.

 

[SLAM]

Before looking inside the game for that sort of thing, look inside yourself. If a character in a game prays to a different god or casts a spell or summons a creature, are you going to begin sharing the same beliefs yourself, and attempt to do the same thing outside the game?

 

[[7F]tHeEniGma]

Hi again SSquared!

Great question, and one that I have personally asked myself a lot.

BTW, I own Dungeon Siege, Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale, and Morrowind...(i'm a level 39 Nord, and Morrowind is the kickingest game in the world if you ask me)  ,  

SLAM does make a great point regarding taking a look inside yourself, because we are all different.  It is a very personal thing and not handled the same for everyone because some people have stronger feelings than others.  Here's my pov: I like IWD, BG, and DS and I'm still playing Morrowind since the day I got it, got the Tribunal expansion and am in line for Bloodmoon.

 When it comes to casting spells etc, I'm pushing a button and something happens: it's cause and effect, no different than clicking my mouse and firing a BFG.

When it comes to viewing blatantly Satanic artifacts, or symbolism or rituals, I don't particularly feel comfortable with that, personally.  Monsters et al, kill 'em dead

NOW:  If everytime I cast a spell, I pictured myself, or thought through ritualistically performing an incantation, or summoning a demonic spirit, etc... I would have a problem with it.  Personally, I don't do that. I press click, and fire springs forth from my hands...incinerating everything in it's path. Cool effect!

  There are some games which go into far more detail about casting/creating spells, and I personally don't do that stuff in the game (Morrowind has some the ability to do that too...only if you want to though). It is because it forces you to actually think about the properties/characteristics/conjuration of creating the spell, rather than just click and 'fire'. That's IMHO

All this said, be sensitive to your conscience...if you do have a problem with it, by all means, don't.

It's just a thought...

Cheers
~eNiGma

 

[SSquared]

Yo! Enigma. Glad you found us here. I think many people tend to stay within their own groups and not post to other group threads. So I really appreciate you coming over here and checking us out.

Well, thanks a bunch SLAM and Enigma. I already do look at my heart and conscience and that was why I asked the question. My problem is, I don't know enough about the game to fully make a decision. I was looking for more insight into how magic and all that stuff is used. There was no review on CCGR.

But I think today I feel at peace about it. I did a lot more research and the game's website had lots of information. Plus I read loads of reviews. I felt pretty good about what I read/saw. My main concerns now are that there are no extra maps and the game runs in very low resolution only (600x480 ).

I just borrowed Morrowind from a co-worker today. I'm gonna check it out over this weekend to see if I want to buy it, but it already contains areas I have issues with, so I don't think I will buy it. But boy!!!! It looks FANTASTIC. I feel like I'm in a real, living world. Absolutely amazing. But, who knows, I'll see how things continue over the weekend.

 

[SSquared]

OK. I've spent around 2-3 hours with Morrowind and it seems a little slow. Is that the way it starts? I need to find such and such a person or find a certain place and I'm asking people where it is. That's basically all that's happened so far. I'm not even sure what the main storyline is. Or is it just completely open ended? Maybe it's cuz it's quite late and I was up late last night and got up very early this morning (I'm running on 4-5 hours of sleep

). Also, my friend forgot to grab his manual and map, so I don't really have much background on the game.


Anyway, I'm a Nord Crusader. I just joined the Fighters' Guild in Balroma (sp?). My first quest is to find and kill some rats.

 

[CCGR]

Yes there is a story line but you don't have to follow it. What are your system specs? The game can be slow and got a lot slower for me as I leveled up. (lvl 49 BTW) So it will get worse.

Cheryl

 

[SSquared]

I've got a P4 1.8 w/512MB RAM, but a wee ol' GeForce 2MX. How do I show my FPS? My FPS isn't awful, but I think I may turn down to 800x600 to see if it smooths things out.

Ohhhh. When I said the game was slow, I meant the game's progress seems slow. Nothing has really happened so far. I suppose I HAVE been following the storyline. I was told to find some guy in Balroma. I did. Then he told me of some guilds. I met other people he works with. Then I found a guild and joined it. And now I am going to get those rats. The world the developers have created is amazing. I really like the concept of the world and the game. I just wish they didn't have all that "What star are you born under?" stuff. I hope the Star Wars "Knights of the Old Republic" is as nice. Morrowind has gotten me even more excited for the Star Wars game, but it's months away (Fall). My plan is to buy a new video card by then.

 

[SSquared]

BTW, I am very thankful for a place/forum like these where I feel free to ask questions or make comments regarding magic issues I have within games. I know we all have varying levels of what we allow ourselves to play. But, as Christians, I know we all understand how this topic can be a tough one. I appreciate your time and concern in your thoughts and statements.

 

[Katarn85]

Yeah, I'm in the latter stages of the Morrowind main quest, and have just acquired Sunder and Keening (you'll find out what those are, SSquared). The awesome thing about the game is how open ended it is.

Anyways, I'm a level 23 Redguard scout, and I'm having some trouble leveling up. My two most used skills (long blade and athletics) are now at 100, so I guess I'll just have to go big on the whole training for pay thing. Alchemy is frustrating (the potions keep failing) even though I have a lot of grandmaster apparatti. Any suggestions CCGR?

The cool thing is, with long sword at 100, and my character with a nice claymore, he's virtually unstoppable in combat.

 

[CCGR]

Find more Grand master who can train certain skills up to 100. Start using new weapons and build up your skills. Download the offical plugins and add some more game time and gain experience in the process. Enjoy!

 

[[7F]tHeEniGma]

Heya SSquared, thanks for the welcome and all. I really like these forums and,  I'm a wandering kind of a guy so, while I love my own forums, I like to stray into other peeps mainstream too  These truly are great forums.

Nice to hear your giving Morrowind a try.  Yep, it's a slow start to be sure, BUT.. if you're an adventuring type, as you walk along the countryside, you'll find copious caves, crypts, and ruins to explore and get great stuff.. if you can, grab glass armour when you are able ...it totally rocks and is very light. Armour rating is 333 and because of the 'Tribunal' expansion, I'm now wearing a Dark Brotherhood helm (darn assassins from Mournhold who are trying mercilessly to kill me in my sleep...to no avail.. ha!) It's armour rating 200. Kinda reminds of a borgish look.

Personally, I accept almost every quest. I find there's always something else to work on when I get bored. Join lots of factions/guilds, then you get way more quests, but sometimes you have to choose between two different ones because one will ask you to do something that gets you expelled from another.

By this time, I am now acknowleged as the Nerevarine, and almost the accepted Hortator...THAT one is kinda long and boring because of the traveling involved, but worth it in the end.  Some advice... once you're at a high enough level, fly everywhere you go if you can't get there by boat or silt strider...overland is quite faster than running.

The game is SO non-linear that your right, it's like running around in a real world. In fact, I have stood for awhile and watched the night fall more than once just to admire the colours.  At first you actually find yourself thinking, "Gee, I better find a place to stay for the night, because it's getting dusky..."  pretty engrossing.

Of course, now I don't worry about it, because of my nasty two handed daedric war axe, which weighs about 90 lbs and chop of 80 slash of 60 and thrust of 8 will make weasel meat out of most anything

Katarn85, so are you playing the Vampire angle?  Cool!  I have not played that angle at all, in fact in my quests I have had to kill vampires.  As far as leveling up, trainers are definitely your friend

Giving your endurance a workout will help you get more points when you level up too.

I'm a Nord Agent BTW.

Cheryl, I'm impressed

 

[SSquared]

Wow! Thanks for the input.

Well...I have to admit...I got sucked into Morrowind. Now that I am actually getting some quests, things are moving along. And the way it really feels like you are there...nightfall, rain, everything about it feels real. And yeah. When it gets to be night, I'm looking for a place to sleep.

That's very true.

I am mostly just following the storyline, but I did join the Mage Guild since I had to go there for one of Caius' orders. When I get back, I may do a Mage quest and a Fighter's quest.

Anyway, this game is pretty cool, but I don't think I'll buy it. I'll play some more this weekend and probably through to next weekend. It didn't give me that "I gotta stop everything until I finish this game" feeling that I got with things like Jedi Outcast, Dungeon Siege, and Medal of Honor (I'd be up until 2-3AM on many occasions with those). This may sound lame when compared to Morrowind, but I'm waiting for Freelancer to drop in price or to find it used somewhere. I really liked the demo and I know several other people currently playing through it.

Oh...I'll have my buddy bring in the Morrowind manual because I am at a total loss in many aspects of the game.

 

[SSquared]

OK. I started this topic and now I am getting WAY off...but...Best Buy has Freelancer for $35!!!! Yehoo! I think I'll be playing that for awhile. As to the original question, I think I'll be keeping the Icewind Dale game.

 

[Dar'Noor]

I'm new here. I saw some Morrowind players here, so i thought i would drop you a note. MW is an awesome game. I read the review of it on this site, and they only gave it an 83. That's pretty low for a gme like that. I would put it in the mid 90's. Anyway, my question is, have you tried any of the mods? They add a lit to an already great game. There's a mod the enhances the sound in the game. It's amazing. Give it a try. Anyway, it's great to see fellow MW lovers on here. I'll keep an eye on this site. It looks pretty interesting.

 

[Dar'Noor]

Quote[/b] (SSquared @ Mar. 14 2003,2:08)]After Dungeon Siege, I told myself never to buy another game like that.  Actually, I TOTALLY enjoyed Dungeon Siege and still play it once in awhile, it's just that I don't care for the spells and undead stuff.  Well, I am now wondering about Icewind Dale (the original one, not II that just came out).  Reviews look great.  And sounds like it has a wonderful soundtrack (Jeremy Soule, same guy who did Dugeon Siege, Total Annihilation,and Morrowind).

Well, the game has clerics who pray to gods and druids, and that sort of turns me off.  But I've been wanting the game for months, and I just got it used today, but I can still take it back as long as I don't open it up.

Any comments?  Thanks a bunch.

The great thing about RPG's is, you can play any character you want. If you feel uncomfortable playing a cleric, then don't. You can play as a fighter or bard. Or maybe a rogue.

 

[[7F]tHeEniGma]

Quote[/b] (Dar'Noor @ Mar. 20 2003,9:28)]I'm new here. I saw some Morrowind players here, so i thought i would drop you a note. MW is an awesome game. I read the review of it on this site, and they only gave it an 83. That's pretty low for a gme like that. I would put it in the mid 90's. Anyway, my question is, have you tried any of the mods? They add a lit to an already great game. There's a mod the enhances the sound in the game. It's amazing. Give it a try. Anyway, it's great to see fellow MW lovers on here. I'll keep an eye on this site. It looks pretty interesting.

Welcome Dar'Noor, I'm pretty new here too, but it is a great place to hang out and there are some fantastic people here.

I'm with ya, MW rocks. But I respect the writers review as well. That's the beauty about opinions, we all have a different one!  

 I have some friends that totally hate MW because they enjoy the more fast paced type games such as CS, UT, Quake etc...and, while I enjoy those too, I'm also a 'sniff-the-roses-and-admire-the-view-while-I-kill-you' kind of a gamer.

 To me, eye candy is everything  

As far as mods go, are you talking about the bittercoast sounds from Morrowind's Site or from another page? If different from what I have here, could you please post the link where this can be found?
I know Duncanns Mods has a huge sound pack but I have never installed it.

Cheers

 

[SSquared]

Welcome Dar'Noor. Like tHeEniGma stated, I am one of those who find Morrowind a bit slow paced. I like it, but didn't capture me as a 'must have' purchase (I borrowed it from a friend). I think MW got a lower score on the review site because of its Christian Perspective score. Not good, and that brought the score down.

Oh, and regarding IWD, can you complete the game without any magicians/clerics? I've been reading the big manual (LOVE manuals). Turns out, I don't really have a problem with most of the spells.

I don't know when I'll get to the game, but I'm looking forward to it. It sounds more intense than Dungeon Siege, which I really liked.

 

[Dar'Noor]

Quote[/b] ([TRiBForCe]tHeEniGma @ Mar. 21 2003,6:43)]

I'm with ya, MW rocks. But I respect the writers review as well. That's the beauty about opinions, we all have a different one!  

 I have some friends that totally hate MW because they enjoy the more fast paced type games such as CS, UT, Quake etc...and, while I enjoy those too, I'm also a 'sniff-the-roses-and-admire-the-view-while-I-kill-you' kind of a gamer.

 To me, eye candy is everything  

As far as mods go, are you talking about the bittercoast sounds from Morrowind's Site or from another page? If different from what I have here, could you please post the link where this can be found?
I know Duncanns Mods has a huge sound pack but I have never installed it.

Cheers

I'm playing with Ducanns mods. I would give them a try. They add a lot to the game world. The most recent update to the mod allows you to hear rain hitting the roof when you are inside a building. It's really cool. Are you planning on getting Bloodmoon? I can't wait for that one.